


I've Grown Into the Ground and There Are Branches in My Bones

by TooGoodToBeBad



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Mentioned Blue Lions Students (Fire Emblem), Post-Blue Lions Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooGoodToBeBad/pseuds/TooGoodToBeBad
Summary: He shrugged casually and leaned back against the railing. “What about maybe travelling the world?”“That sounds much too tiring for me!” Mercedes giggled again. “I’d probably get lost somewhere, knowing how forgetful I can be.”Sylvain’s toothy grin only widened. “Start small, then. Come to Gautier; I’ll make sure you won’t get lost there.”After Enbarr, Mercedes and Sylvain wonder what's next.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 13
Kudos: 31





	I've Grown Into the Ground and There Are Branches in My Bones

Fragile peace settled over all of Fódlan the day that Enbarr fell.

Mercedes looked up at the stars in the sky, the very same stars they’d been chasing after to get this far and end the war they’d waged for far too long. They’d chased the stars so long that home felt like a distant memory. 

A new life waited for her back in Faerghus; this much she knew. New lives waited for them all back in the Kingdom. Ashe and Ingrid were bound for knighthood. Annette wanted to teach in the School of Sorcery. Felix had a duchy to look after, Sylvain had a border to secure, Dedue had a king to follow, and Dimitri had a kingdom to lead. 

But Mercedes, a commoner with no territory to her name, no calling to knighthood to follow, and no life-debts to kings to be repaid, felt lost.

She’d looked to the stars for guidance, to light her a way worth walking. But she was no navigator, and with no wind in her sails and no map to follow, she was adrift.

The quiet little balcony she’d escaped to provided silence but no solace, and she watched as Enbarr slowly went to sleep.

“So this is where you escaped to,” a voice called from behind her.

She turned and came face to face with Sylvain, who stood in the open doorway leading to the palace halls. Her heart stuttered in her chest when he smiled at her, closed the door behind him, and made his way to her side.

“You’re missing dinner,” Sylvain said. “Everyone else is there.”

“Well, I’m not really hungry right now,” Mercedes replied. “What brings you out here? Sounds like you’re missing dinner as well.”

Sylvain shrugged and leaned forward, letting his eyes drift towards the city. “I was looking for you. You’re not usually one to miss meals.”

“Do the others know you’re looking for me?”

He shook his head and chuckled. “I figured if anyone asked, I’d just say that I didn’t want to sit with Felix and Annette any longer than I had to.”

Despite herself, Mercedes laughed brightly at that. “That bad?”

“It’s getting borderline ridiculous now. This war couldn’t kill me, but they might. I sorta figured now that the war was over they’d be jumping into each other’s arms at this point, but it’s not happening.”

She giggled again and stole a sideways glance at him and the way moonlight softened his features in the most pleasant way.

“May I escort you to the dining hall?” he asked with a playful tone in his voice.

“Oh, no need to wait for me.” Mercedes shook her head. “I’m not terribly hungry.”

“I’d hate to just leave you out here. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Nothing really,” she said before her voice trailed off. “Just… thinking.”

The easy smile dropped from his face and was replaced with a look of concern. “Is something bothering you, Mercedes?”

She tore her gaze away from him and looked at the sleeping city below them. “Nope, not at all.”

He sighed deeply. “You know, I thought we’d agreed we’d always tell each other the truth.”

Some strange constriction in her chest left her heart feeling uneasy.

“I don’t want to pry or anything,” Sylvain continued. “But if there’s anything I can do—”

“Well, I don’t know if there’s anything _to_ do,” Mercedes replied.

“If nothing else, I can listen. If you want me to, I mean. You always listen to me; it’d be nice to do something nice in return.”

“If you’re sure it’s no trouble.” Mercedes turned her back to the city and leaned back against the railing.

Sylvain turned as well, watching with nothing but concern in his eyes.

“Well, to put it simply, I don’t really know what to do now,” Mercedes said.

“Now that the war’s over?”

She nodded her head slightly. “Exactly that. I’ve been trying to figure out where I’d go next, but I suppose I’ve never really been good at that. Everyone else seems to have more or less figured out what’s next for them. And I’m happy for them. I just wish I could figure it out, too. It feels like I’m all out of paths to walk on.”

Sylvain nodded along. “I’d imagine that these things can take time. We’re all living life at our own pace, anyway. It’ll take time to figure it out, but you get to do what you want, and no one can tell you otherwise.”

“That’s surprisingly insightful.” She hummed appreciatively.

“I’ve been told I’m a surprisingly insightful man.”

Mercedes laughed, like she so easily did in his company.

“I almost envy you,” Sylvain continued. “You have the chance to forge your own path in a way that I can’t. You can tie your fate to anything or anyone you set your mind to. It’s a scary sort of freedom, but it’s freedom all the same.”

Mercedes pursed her lips and raised a curious eyebrow at him. “Anything or anyone, huh?”

“That’s right.” His hazel eyes seemed to twinkle like stars in the night sky. “Have you considered knighthood?”

“Oh, hush.” She hid her smile behind her hand, but Sylvain’s eyes crinkled in delight at the sound of her laughter. “You know it’s not funny to joke about things like that.”

He shrugged casually and leaned back against the railing. “What about maybe travelling the world?”

“That sounds much too tiring for me!” Mercedes giggled again. “I’d probably get lost somewhere, knowing how forgetful I can be.”

Sylvain’s toothy grin only widened. “Start small, then. Come to Gautier; I’ll make sure you won’t get lost there.”

Mercedes could feel the tips of her ears burning with a pleasant heat, and it was slowly but surely inching its way down to her cheeks. “I appreciate the offer. I’ll be sure to take you up on it.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said softly. “Really, just drop by anytime, even if it’s just for tea. Doesn’t matter if I’m meeting with some stuffy nobles or what — the minute I hear you’re visiting, I’m dropping everything and running to you.”

The warmth seemed to have coursed through her veins and settled in her heart, leaving a soft buzz in her chest. She stared at him with her jaw dropped like he’d just said the most ridiculous thing in the world (and Sylvain said _a lot_ of ridiculous things).

With her breath caught in her throat, Mercedes finally managed to whisper, “Are you sure, Sylvain? I’d hate to put you out.”

He waved off her concern with a flick of the wrist that was equal parts flippant and sincere. “Think nothing of it, Mercedes. You could never put me out, and I mean that. I’ve meant every word I’ve said so far.”

“I don’t doubt your sincerity,” she said with a smile and hesitantly brought a hand to his cheek. His skin was warm to the touch, and her fingers seemed to dance with an electric energy when they brushed against his cheek. Sylvain leaned into her touch ever so subtly, and it sent thunderbolts down her spine to feel more of him.

“I’m glad to hear it.” His voice was hazy. “Because I’d stop the world for you if I could, Mercedes.”

“Sylvain!” she chided with a delicate giggle and bopped him on the nose. He let out a laugh of his own and grasped at his own nose in feigned agony.

“Mercedes! I can only hope your vicious ambush hasn’t permanently ruined my handsome face.”

The snort that escaped her was so unladylike that it surprised her. “You’re a silly man, you know that?”

“Only for you, Mercedes. Only for you.”

Never one to be outdone in silliness, she gave his cheek a playful pinch. “Besides, I doubt anything could ruin a face as handsome as yours.”

“You’re too kind to me, Mercedes,” Sylvain said with a shy chuckle. “Many people have called me handsome, but I think you’re the first one I’ve believed.”

She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought we’d agreed we’d always tell each other the truth.”

“I haven’t lied to you in a very long time, Mercedes.”

Mercedes blinked up at him, studying his features and trying to ignore the tickle in her chest. The expression written on his face, with the boyish, flawed smile and the twinkle in his eyes, sent her heart beating in double time. It was an expression so rarely seen in others, and only ever in her presence.

She would know; he’d told her as much.

“I was being serious about Gautier,” Sylvain said. “Just come by and visit any time. I’ll even build you a church there if you want one. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

Mercedes giggled again. “You’d really go through so much trouble for me?”

“All that, and so much more.”

“Why?”

He chuckled lowly and looked away from her, returning his gaze to the sleeping city beneath them while he rested his hand on the railing. “Because I’m being selfish. I’d love to keep you in my life, Mercedes, if only for a little bit longer.”

“Well,” Mercedes began and placed her hand on top of his, “I think I wouldn’t mind being a little selfish, too.”

Sylvain looked back at her and raised a devilish eyebrow. “You wouldn’t?”

She bopped him on the nose again. “Just a little, mind you.”

He gave her another shy, boyish smile while he ran his hand through his crimson hair.

“Have I ever told you how much I like your smile?” Mercedes said quietly.

“Have I ever told you how much I like the way you make me smile?” 

Mercedes could feel his fingers caressing her jaw, and warmth bloomed just underneath her skin at the unexpected contact. His eyes seemed to sparkle with unabashed honesty as he leaned in towards her, his face getting dangerously, pleasantly close to her own.

“Mercedes.” Sylvain said her name softly and tenderly, like a stolen wish on a shooting star, and the sound of it sent shivers down her spine. “I—”

“Mercie!” a shrill voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of frantic footsteps just on the other side of the door. “Mercie, you _won’t_ believe what Felix just told me! Where are you?”

Sylvain looked like he was choking on his own laughter, silently snickering where he stood. Mercedes shushed him with a playful whisper before hiding her own grin behind her hand.

And when the footsteps outside seemed to fade away, Sylvain said slyly, “I think you should check on her.”

She shook her head at him. “Annie’s a big girl. She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So why don’t we get back to—”

Mercedes pressed her lips against his own before he could finish the sentence. In a heartbeat, she melted against him, and for a moment, all the worries that tied her down came undone. All that mattered right now was their tiny hiding spot on a balcony, the two of them keeping watch while the city below them slept.

“You might be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Sylvain said softly as he let his fingers twirl her hair. “And a lot of good things have happened to me lately.”

Mercedes let out a shy little giggle and took his other hand in hers. “Well, while we’re out here, what do you say we stay selfish for just a little longer?”

His fingers filled in the gaps between her own, slotted together like two inseparable parts of a puzzle. Like they belonged together, intertwined.

“I’d like nothing more, Mercedes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback and comments are appreciated!
> 
> This was a lot of fun for me to write, and I just want these two to be soft and nice to each other.
> 
> I hope you guys liked this!


End file.
